


Day Eight-Three || Eyes of Blue

by 365daysofsasuhina



Series: 365 Days of SasuHina 2019 [83]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-25
Updated: 2019-03-25
Packaged: 2019-12-07 08:20:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18232322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/365daysofsasuhina/pseuds/365daysofsasuhina
Summary: Both Hinata and Sasuke have peered often into a familiar pair of blue eyes. But what they saw was entirely different. And over time...has changed. When neither could any longer find solace in them, they instead turned to each other...and found a new solace in what they saw.





	Day Eight-Three || Eyes of Blue

Funny how the same things can look so different depending on your point of view.

When she first saw them, Hinata saw...hope. Determination. Strength. Resilience.

...everything she had ever wanted to be, but couldn’t.

When Sasuke first locked eyes with Naruto -  _ truly _ looked at him, which wasn’t until after the massacre - he saw brashness. Stubbornness. Someone determined to pester him despite obvious signs Sasuke wanted nothing to do with anyone.

And things only diverged from there.

Hinata’s early impressions of Naruto were, admittedly, from a bit of a distance. Like he was a sun, she couldn’t get too close...too bright, too warm, too...much. But she still admired so much about him. He had that unshakeable confidence...even if she didn’t truly realize how born out of bravado and a mask it was at first. She strove to be like him, to emulate hm, to become worthy of standing in that sun’s rays, at its side, without fear of burning.

Sasuke’s, however, only got worse. While part of him revelled in competition, even after all he’d lost...Naruto’s attempts to talk through fists rather than words seemed only to exacerbate the Uchiha’s problems. Their competition, though friendly at first, soon took dark turns. While he can’t blame Naruto solely for it - there were certainly other factors at play - Naruto never backed down. Never let up. Insisted on force at every turn, even when Sasuke turned his back.

He just  _ never listened _ …!

Hinata’s daydreams, on the other hand...slowly began to crumble. Naruto’s return had her excited, but even then, he still barely paid her any mind. Even when she tried to give her life for him - and true, his reaction was telling that he cared in some capacity - her confession went unaddressed. Not a word. Not even a nod once it was all over. He had bigger fish to fry. Akatsuki was taking even bigger risks, causing even greater damage. Naruto had no time for some wallflower he barely noticed and her feelings. Not with the world on the line. And even in the war, Neji’s sacrifice -  _ her _ intended sacrifice! - didn’t seem to break through. He rallied with her...but once everything was said and done, it was back to his team, and no one else.

Those eyes of blue...they would never truly see her...would they?

Sasuke, if he had the choice, would never see those eyes again. He had cut his ties, and watched as Naruto clung to them. It seemed so...unnecessary. Perhaps even pathetic. He wasn’t the same boy Naruto had sparred with. He was changing into something else...something far... _ more _ . Konoha and its memories seemed so far removed. So...quaint. But what truly set Sasuke in his ways wasn’t until after their final confrontation, and he was brought back to Konoha. Naruto had known...he, and Sakura, and Kakashi...they’d all come to know what had been wrought upon him and his clan, all at the hands of Konoha’s most powerful people. Some of them even still held that power.

And they did... _ nothing _ .

No offers to help him find justice for a clan wiped from the map. No sympathy. Not even any recognition that - perhaps - he had no intention of returning to the place that sanctioned his bloodline’s genocide.

The Uchiha had been wrongly accused of the actions of one man. For generations they bore that weight...until the Kyūbi brought that camel’s back. It hadn’t been them…! Obito was Uchiha, true...but no longer one of them.

He  _ helped slaughter _ them. And it was his actions that put the final nail in their coffins. Fitting, then...in a way.

Sasuke’s team was made privy by none other than Obito. And in no way since did they acknowledge it. Naruto still insisted Sasuke give up his plans, and come  _ home _ . Sakura still claimed she loved him...when she never knew him, never  _ understood _ him.

It made him  _ sick _ .

He’d had tentative plans to stay - Itachi’s family was still there, in Konoha. But all of that was just...too much. He couldn’t stomach staying in Konoha another moment, not even for their sakes. Sasuke needed time. He needed space from the people that had done little more than attempt to suffocate him for more than three years.

When he took his leave, he looked into those eyes of blue...and he saw distrust. Fear. And yet still that longing for things to be as they’d been.

They never would be. And so long as Naruto - and the rest of Team Seven - adhered to that hollow wish...things would never get any better, either.

Friendship, and admiration...both lost in that gaze. Eyes both light and dark turned away...and in the aftermath...found each other.

**Author's Note:**

> This is super short, and I'm sorry OTL But between a very long day, and honestly just...feeling like I've said all I can say based on this prompt...this is just where it felt right to end it.
> 
> I've covered the transition period after Sasuke's return in ALAS a LOT in this challenge so far, so I'm trying not to rehash it too much, which is another reason I stopped where I did. Readers of the challenge know how it goes well enough by now. Anyone new...uh, sorry? xD You can always go back and read more entries, haha
> 
> But yeah...Sasuke and Hinata saw ENTIRELY different things in Naruto's eyes. And their changes - one more significant than the other - were also different. Naruto plays a key role in both their lives...at least, to a point. Things change a lot after the war...and after they become a couple.
> 
> Aaand I'm rambling, whoops. Still got things I need to get done, so...I'll call it a night here. Early for once, too! But anyway, thanks for reading!


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